Patients and Visitors at Banner Desert Medical Center
ATM
The hospital houses two automatic teller machines. One is located on the first floor near the cashier's office. A second ATM is located in the cafeteria.
Case Management
Banner Desert's Case Management staff works as a team to help each patient get "the right care at the right time." The team is made up of a nurse case manager, social worker, and a case management technician who will look at your specific needs to see what kind of help, if any, you will need after you leave the hospital.
They can help you with any of the following areas if your doctor orders them for you:
- Home health nursing
- Rehabilitation or skilled nursing facility transfer
- Long-term care planning/community resources
- Communication with insurance companies
- Coordinating communication among health care team members
Closed Circuit Television
Closed circuit TV provides information programs specific to the needs of patients on each nursing unit. Ask your nurse about programs on your unit and how you can access them.
Family Lounges
There are specially designated lounges for visitors throughout the hospital. Please ask a staff member for the lounge nearest you.
For your safety, our policy requires that you do not bring a firearm into the hospital. If you do, Security will ask you to leave the firearm in your vehicle or they will secure it for you.
All hospital rooms are centrally heated and air-conditioned. If your room temperature is uncomfortable, please notify the nursing staff.
Hospital beds adjust to several different positions for your comfort and are equipped with side rails. Do not try to get out of bed by yourself; please use your call light to ask for assistance.
Lost and Found
Should you or your visitors lose an item during your stay, please contact Patient Relations at (480) 412-3185.
Mail
Letters, packages and flowers are delivered to patients throughout the day on weekdays. There is no mail delivery on weekends; however flowers will still be delivered. Any items that arrive after your discharge will be forwarded to your home address.
Stamps can be purchased at the Banner Desert Gift Shop. Outgoing mail may be given to your nurse.
Medical Records and Health Information Management
Banner Desert's HIMS specialists are responsible for keeping a complete medical record for every patient. The department is located on the first floor between the Pharmacy and the Emergency Department, and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Your original medical record is the property of the hospital, but the information in it belongs to you. If you would like copies of your medical record, you may contact the HIMS Department at (480) 412-3001. You will need to complete a standard "Release of Information Consent Form" and show proof of identification. There may be a fee for locating and copying your record. You may request recent information or a specific document to reduce any costs incurred.
To help maintain contact between a patient's caregivers and family members, pagers are available for rent in the cashier's office on the first floor. Rental requires a $90 credit card deposit. Rental rates are $10 per week or $30 for four weeks.
Patient Emergency Helpline
As an added measure of safety and support for our patients, Banner Desert and Cardon Children’s provide a Patient Emergency Helpline for patients and their families to use in the event of a medical emergency.
Please notify our nursing staff, or in an emergency, contact our “rapid response team” by dialing 1-6666 from a hospital phone if you notice that:
- the patient’s breathing is changing;
- the patient seems suddenly confused;
- there is a noticeable medical change; or,
- something just does not seem right to you.
The Banner Desert call center is able to quickly pinpoint your location if you call from a hospital phone line. This allows for them to dispatch the rapid response team more quickly.
If you are unable to make the call from a hospital phone, you can dial 480-412-6666 from your personal cell. If calling from a mobile phone, please be sure to tell the operator that you are a patient or family member calling for a rapid response team. You will need to tell the operator where you are—be as specific as possible.
For those who are hearing impaired, we have a TDD/TDY system along with a TV/VCR decoder system. Additionally, the hospital offers amplified phone sets and closed captioned television.
For those who are visually impaired, the hospital offers critical hospital documents in Braille for review during your hospitalization.
Please ask your nurse or call Patient Relations at (480) 412-3185 for more information.
Telephones
Telephones are located in each room, in critical care units and in the family lounges. When calling numbers inside Banner Desert, dial "1" and the last four digits of the phone number.
Local calls may be made at any time from the room by dialing "9" and the number. Long distance calls cannot be charged to your room. You can make long-distance calls with a calling card or charge long distance phone calls back to your home phone. Public pay phones are located throughout the hospital.
Tobacco-Free Environment
Banner Health has established a tobacco-free environment for all its hospitals. We prohibit all forms of tobacco use by employees, volunteers, medical staff, patients and visitors inside and outside all facilities. Banner Health is committed to promoting good health and offering the best healing environment for our patients. Our tobacco-free policy is one more step in our commitment to providing excellent patient care. If you are a smoker coming to the hospital for any reason - Please check with your healthcare provider about nicotine replacement options such as gum, patches and lozenges that can assist you.
- Discharge
We would like to make sure your discharge or transition home proceeds as smoothly as possible. Once your doctor completes your written discharge, your nurse will do several things for you. First, your nurse will gather all the prescriptions you may need and review your doctor's instructions with you. Special instructions regarding activities, diet, new equipment, wound care and follow-up doctor visits will also be reviewed with you based on your doctor's discharge order. Then, your nurse will give you a copy of your discharge plan and ask you to sign it.
Once these things have been accomplished, you can make arrangements for a ride home. If you are going to another care facility, your Case Manager will talk with you about transportation arrangements.
Please remember to take all of your belongings, including any valuables you may have placed in the hospital safe. We will provide bags for your personal belongings.
If you have any questions about your discharge instructions, please ask your doctor or nurse. We want to be sure you feel comfortable with your treatment and that all of your questions are answered before you leave the hospital.
- Family Assisted Transition
Staff from our Transport Department will be happy to take you to your ride when it is time for you to leave. However, you may have a family take you if you meet required criteria. To use our Family Assisted Transition program, you must:- be able to walk with minimal assistance
- have a business office discharge status of "clearance or courtesy"
- have a family member available to assist you
Please check with your nurse to see if this is an option for you.
Translation Services
Valuables & Personal Items
Please leave all jewelry, money (except for small change), and other valuables at home. If you do have a valuable item with you that you are unable to send home, please ask your nurse for assistance in having the item placed in the hospital's safe. A receipt for the contents will be given to you or placed with your chart. When you are discharged, you may obtain your valuable by presenting your receipt to Admitting/Patient Registration on the first floor of the D Tower.
Please remember that you are responsible for your dentures, eyeglasses, hearing aids and prosthesis. The hospital cannot assume responsibility for your valuables or personal articles kept in your room or on your person.
Visitor Parking
Visitor parking is limited due to a number of hospital construction projects. For your convenience valet parking is available free of charge.
